Fujifilm FinePixS5000: Professional Camera for the Amateur

Shopping online for a good digital camera, I was cued in on the Fujifilm FinePixS5000 when I mistakenly typed the wrong website for epinions and came to a site that compared digital cameras, with the Fujifilm FinePix S5000 as one of the top 3 on the first page.

A couple of things about the Fujifilm FinePixS5000 really got me hooked on it at first sight. First, it looked like a professional SLR digital camera with its black color and larger body. Second, it looked substantial with a good spot to grip the camera with your right hand so I wouldn't be holding on to a small box to take pictures. And third, the price. The first one I saw was around $350. Oh, and it said the camera took 6M pixel images. Impressive for a camera under $500.

Huh? 6M Pixels?
So, I did a little research on the Fujifilm FinePix S5000. It is true the FinePix S5000 boasts 6.0 million "recording" pixels, but only 3.1 million "effective" pixels. How’s that?

From what I gather, it is due to Fujifilm's Super CCD. Fujifilm developed Super CCD, 4th generation featured on this camera, which is technology based on how we see with our eye (visual perception) and transfers that concept to the optical system of a digital camera. The design of the photodiodes on the CCD was angled and modified into a honeycomb pattern so more information could be recorded on the horizontal and vertical axes, our visual perception. This makes the Super CCD simpler and allows for a larger photodiode, able to efficiently capture light and improve sensitivity, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio. With several of these photodiodes closer together than in a conventional CCD, it creates a stronger visual signal with sharper images. (Check out the fujifilm.com website for more information.)

From what I have heard and read from digital photographers, 3 MP will give you a good 5x7 photo, while 5 MP will give you a nice 8x10 with minimal to no grainy, pixelated look.

How close can I get?
The FinePix S5000 features a 10X optical zoom (optical zoom is usually produces a clearer image than a digital zoom), and 2.2x digital zoom at 1280x960 pixels mode (1.0 million pixels). The lens focal length is equivalent to 37-370mm on a 35 mm camera.

Focus can be achieved through several settings: TTL contrast multi-zone auto, center point auto, focus lock, continuous auto focus (C-AF), manual focus, and AF assist illuminator.

The focus range in a normal setting is 3 feet to infinity using wide angle (W) and 6.6 feet to infinity on telephoto (T). Using macro setting, the focus range is 0.3 to 6.6 feet (W) and 3-6.6 feet (T).

Too dark? Too light?
There are many options to controlling the light that gets translated into your pictures with the FinePix S5000. The aperture on the FinePix S5000 is similar to a normal 35mm camera, F 2.8-F8 (W), F3.2-F9 (T) with 10 segments in 1/3 increments. The shutter speed varies from 2 seconds to 1/2000 second.

Camera sensitivity in automatic mode is equivalent to ISO 160-400 with flash off and 200-400 with flash on. Using the camera manually, sensitivity is equal to ISO 200, 400, and in 1M mode ISO 800.

The exposure control can be achieved through auto/manual, EV/scene position, and S/A/M modes with exposure modes for TTL-64 zone multi, average and spot.

The white balance can be adjusted either in automatic mode, or manually with these settings: fine, shade, fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), fluorescent light (cool white), and incandescent light.

The FinePix S5000 features an auto flash using a flash control sensor. The flash modes include: auto, red-eye reduction, forced flash, suppressed flash, slow synchro, and red-eye reduction with slow synchro. The effective range of the flash at ISO 200 is 1 to 19.7 feet wide angle (W) and 2.6 to 18 feet telephoto (T).

Taking the picture.
You can select the pixel quality for each picture: 6M (2816 x 2120), 3M (2048 x 1536), 2M (1600 x 1200) and 1M (1280 x 960).

The electronic viewfinder is 1/3" with 110,000 pixels. I usually just use the LCD monitor which is 1.58", also with 110,000 pixels. A drawback to the LCD monitor is that it does cut off a little bit from the perimeter of what the photo will actually look like. So, if you think you are getting a close shot of your child by the Christmas tree, the actual photo may show more tree (or whatever background) than you saw in the LCD monitor. I don't think the viewfinder cuts the image edges, though. Using the LCD monitor also runs down your battery life faster, too.

Saving memories.
The file formats for saving images on the FinePix S5000 are:
Still image: JPEG (with Exif software version 2.2), and CCD Raw
Movie: AVI (Motion JPEG), WAV

The camera comes with one 16MB xD-Picture Card which can hold ten (10) 6M images, nineteen (19) 3M images, or thirty-three (33) 1M images. The 16 MB card can hold approximately 26 seconds of a 320x240 movie. I recommend getting a couple of larger xD-Picture Cards (it takes 16MB to 512 MB cards) just like you would have extra rolls of film for your 35mm camera.

The camera uses USB to connect to your PC, which makes it easy to get your photos transferred to your computer. There's a photo software application that the camera manual strongly suggests using to transfer your photos to your PC. It also very strongly suggests that you use the camera to delete your photos from your xD-Picture Card, instead of deleting the photos on the card using your computer.

Other features worth noting, at least.
QVGA-Quality (30fps) movie recording with sound, versatile exposure options, and continuous auto-focus mode. Just like most digital camcorders that take token snapshots, this digital camera's forte is not in making long video productions. If you do come across some action you need to get a small bit of it recorded, then this feature would be handy. Don't expect too much, though.

This camera uses 4 AA batteries. I have two sets of rechargeable batteries (the manual recommends NiHM), they are handy to have around for anything (especially with two young boys), not just the camera. There are many things that draw lots of power from the camera, including using advanced features like continuous auto focus, so plan your photo-op times accordingly, with an extra set of batteries just in case.

Advantages for the FinePixS5000.
I have to admit, I have owned this camera for almost a year, and I am far from being a proficient user. With two boys, one 2 ½ and the other 7 months, I don't seem to have the time to dink around with gadgets like this anymore. However, I still find that even though I mostly use the auto features I get some great snapshots.

Its design is very similar to an SLR camera, and having the option of adding lens attachments makes this camera one of the most versatile in this price range. A friend of mine mentioned that the Fujifilm FinePixcameras are an off-shoot of the Nikon CoolPix cameras. So if you are yearning for a Nikon, but don't have the money for them, then apparently FujiFilm would be a lower priced comparative brand.

Some Disadvantages.
Action shots do not work as well with this camera due to the delay in shutter speed, but I realize that about $1,000 would get me that.

In auto mode, you have to have the flash on for medium to low light shots, or else the picture is very blurry. I am sure if I invested some time, I could figure out how to take photos in a different setting without using the flash in medium to low light settings.

This camera is a bit bulky if you are used to small, basic cameras that you can take anywhere. However, I don't mind the camera being a bit bulky since the handle is easy to grab and hold on to.

Compared to some over $1,000 true SLR cameras, this one feels a bit lightweight, or rather weighted differently (some would say it is the feeling of a cheep camera). Those true SLR cameras seem to have the weight distributed through the camera so the lens doesn't seem to overpower the rest of the camera, allowing the whole camera to balance nicely in the palm of the hand. However, I do not have over $1,000 to spend on a camera, and I feel that the handle and design is sufficient for my use.

It takes time to be fully knowledgeable about this camera and all its functions and capabilities. If you don't have time to learn about and practice with this camera, then find a fully automatic one.

Final thoughts.
All in all, I have been very pleased with the photographs I have taken with the FinePixS5000. This camera is more than sufficient for my current uses. This past summer we had some extraordinary weather in our neck of the woods, and although I wasn't able to catch the tornado that touched down, I got some great shots of the cloud formations with my FujiFilm FinePix S5000.

For a great website about digital photography, go to www.dpreview.com